The Votes Are In, How Did Canton's Budget Vote Go?

CANTON, CT — Canton voters soundly rejected the town’s proposed $55.1 million town/school budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year during a referendum held Thursday at the Canton Community Center.

According to unofficial results released after the vote, 796 residents voted “yes” while 1,148 voted “no,” easily defeating the proposed spending plan.

The budget totaled $55,089,729, an increase of about $4.27 million, or 8.41%, over the current fiscal year budget of $50,816,923.

Under the proposal, the town’s mill rate would have increased from 33.50 to 35.11, a rise of 1.61 mills.

Town officials estimated the change would have increased annual property taxes on a median assessed home by about $349.72.

The proposed budget included about $13.7 million for the Canton Board of Selectmen's operating budget, a 4.79% increase; nearly $1.9 million for the Capital Improvement Plan, an 87.93% increase; about $37 million for the Board of Education budget, a 6.09% increase; and roughly $2.45 million for the Canton Board of Finance budget, a 34.69% increase.

Because voters rejected the proposal, the budget will now return to the Canton Board of Finance and Board of Selectmen for further review and revisions before another referendum is scheduled.

For the latest Canton budget referendum information, click on this link.

From May 11: 'Canton Voters To Decide Town/School Spending, Taxes This Week'